HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ left out this crucial video game element, but Season 2 will fix it
The showrunners confirm that spores will be introduced in the series and promise they’ll fit seamlessly into the narrative.
Spores drove the world into a post-apocalyptic catastrophe. The infection spread, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. In the video games The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, the story attributes the disaster to these organisms—something HBO’s first season of The Last of Us chose to alter. However, Neil Druckmann, the game’s director and co-showrunner, has confirmed that spores will make their return in the show’s second season.
“Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form,” Druckmann explained during a panel at SXSW. “And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air.” While the initial decision was to omit spores entirely, their inclusion now stems from a creative choice that aligns with the show’s narrative direction. Craig Mazin, one of the series’ other creators, elaborated: “I mean, we really wanted to figure it out, and again, everything has to be drama. There had to be a dramatic reason of introducing it now. And there is.”
Ellie is immune to spores
Of course, no further details were provided, so we’ll have to wait until the second season of The Last of Us premieres on the platform. In the video games, spores not only turn humans into infected but also signal areas with a high concentration of infected individuals. Ellie, however, is immune to spores, allowing her to navigate heavily contaminated zones without issue.
The second season of The Last of Us premieres on April 13. These new episodes will cover part of the story from the series’ second installment, though not its entirety. The platform plans to expand the narrative across four total seasons.
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